2016 Ford Fusion 1.5L
Topped off fluids a little over a month ago; now it’s nearly completely gone.
These reservoirs tend to crack, so check that before you do anything dramatic.
Keir said:
These reservoirs tend to crack, so check that before you do anything dramatic.
I believe that happened to me. Luckily a guy from my church helped me fix it for cheap.
Keir said:
These reservoirs tend to crack, so check that before you do anything dramatic.
I believe that happened to me. Luckily a guy from my church helped me fix it for cheap.
My fiancée (50F) replaced hers on her Focus by herself. I bought the reservoir on eBay for $15, including the cap.
@Keir
Hoping that’s all. I’ll be checking eBay for a new reservoir, thanks!
Oli said:
@Keir
Hoping that’s all. I’ll be checking eBay for a new reservoir, thanks!
Refill it with coolant to see if it takes much more than the volume of the reservoir. Run it; feel the bottom of the reservoir to see if it gets wet, indicating a crack close to where the hose connects.
@Keir
If not, look for white smoke or a sweet smell coming from the tailpipe on cold starts (not on a cold day—that will look white regardless). Those are the first signs of coolant intrusion. Considering you’ve got a 2016 model, I assume you’ve got decent mileage upwards of 60k, so it’s not uncommon to have coolant intrusion. Do you have any kind of warranty?
@Zephyr
This is mine now.
Depends; fill it and if you can pressure test it. If not, fill and run the engine, watch for leaks.
Riley said:
Depends; fill it and if you can pressure test it. If not, fill and run the engine, watch for leaks.
Never see any leaks in the garage or driveway, but I’ll give this a go!
Any white smoke from your tailpipe?
Kai said:
Any white smoke from your tailpipe?
Not that I’ve ever noticed.
Kai said:
Any white smoke from your tailpipe?
Not that I’ve ever noticed.
Any puddles under your car? Any sweet smells suddenly?
Not that I’ve ever noticed.
Any puddles under your car? Any sweet smells suddenly?
Nope, no puddles at home, haven’t noticed any stains at work either, and I haven’t smelled anything sweet. The car is running great and it wasn’t overheating even by the time I noticed it was this low.
@Oli
It won’t overheat until it’s too far gone; engine temp is not a good indicator if you have any coolant intrusion issues before the engine is completely toast.
It’s just a bit thirsty.
If you want to know for sure, you’d need a bore scope; pull the plugs and see what the cylinder and piston looks like. Clean and shiny means coolant intrusion, and at best, a head gasket swap will buy you time.
Happens to me around autumn every year or two. Just happened to me on Friday, actually. Went by a dealer for a top-up, but I intend to get a flush soon. Tires usually need air this time of year too. I assume the weather causes the fluid to shrink a bit from the lower temps, same as the air in my tires.